Making your funeral and cemetery arrangements in advance isn’t hard. And with free tools offered by Dignity Memorial® providers, there’s no reason to not start planning today.

It’s easy. Contact a Dignity Memorial provider near you to request a Personal Planning Guide, or click here to request one now. In the Personal Planning Guide, you’ll be able to record your preferences for your funeral and cemetery arrangements, from the name of your preferred funeral home and cemetery to lists of pallbearers, readings, musical selections and other personal details.

Or, if you’re ready to make your selections right now, use our free online planning tool to create, store, update and communicate your final arrangements online from the comfort and privacy of your own home. The tool also provides pricing estimates, so you know how the selections you make might impact the cost of your plan.

Regardless of which method you use to make your plan, the process is the same. We recommend you approach your final arrangement planning using four easy steps.

Reflect.

While so many of us ask big questions about what happens when we die, we often forget to ask questions that will capture the way we lived and help our friends and family celebrate our life and honor our memory.

Take time to think about the type of funeral and cemetery services that you would want to celebrate or otherwise memorialize your life. Consider the tone and atmosphere of the services. Are they somber? Traditional? Celebratory? Will they reflect your unique interests and personality? What will the experience be like for the guests in attendance? Answering these questions will help you begin to make the funeral and cemetery selections that are right for you.

Record.

Once you’ve reflected on and determined your wishes for your final arrangements, actually recording your wishes is the best way to ensure they will be carried out. Whether stored on paper or electronically, your recorded wishes will allow your loved ones to act on your behalf. And, just as you keep your will and financial documents updated, you should review and update your funeral and cemetery plans if necessary as well.

If you choose to use the Personal Planning Guide, it’s easy to record your wishes by filling in the pages and answering the questions presented. With our online planning tool, your selections and wishes are recorded and stored electronically online. You can even save your plan in progress and come back later to add more details.

Share.

After you’ve recorded your funeral and cemetery plans, it’s important to share them with loved ones so they’ll be able to carry out your wishes.

Keep your funeral plans safe but accessible. It’s a common mistake to store them in a safe deposit box. At the time of your death, a safe deposit box only in your name may not be accessible to others until the legal matters of your estate have been settled. This process may not be resolved until after your final arrangements are carried out.

Instead, there are several ways you can make your plans accessible. If you choose to use the Personal Planning Guide, notify your family of its location or provide them with their own copy. If you have selected a funeral provider and made arrangements with them, your provider will also keep your plans on file.

Sharing your plan is also easy with our online planning tool. Once your account is activated, the friends or family members you designate will receive packets outlining your selections. If you select a funeral provider through the online planning tool, the funeral home also will receive a copy of your plan and will keep it on file.

Support.

Finally, support your plans with funding if you choose. By relieving your family of the need to pay for your funeral or cemetery services at the time of your death, you may prevent additional stress for them at an already difficult time. Funding your plans also provides protection against inflation. By locking in today’s prices, your loved ones will not have to pay more for your selected merchandise and services at the time of your death.

Work with a Dignity Memorial provider to review your Personal Planning Guide, understand your funding options, and put your plans on file. If you use our online planning tool, built-in real-time cost estimates let you know how much funding would be needed today, and an estimate of how much may be needed in the future, to fund your selections.

It’s important to work with your Dignity Memorial provider to understand the laws and regulations that protect preneed funds in your state. When you fund your prearrangements with a Dignity Memorial provider, you can rest assured that your funds are safe and secure.

No matter what your wishes are for your funeral and cemetery plans, recording them and sharing them with your loved ones will help ensure that your final arrangements will be what you want, while easing the burden on your family and friends.

Make Your Plan Today

Additional Reading

Visit our Resource Library to read articles on the importance of planning ahead.